By ANDREA POTEET
Sunday Times Newspapers
Several new faces will appear on local school boards after Tuesday’s midterm election.
Newcomer Paul Klenczar narrowly beat out incumbent Allen Park Public Schools Board of Education Trustee Michael Bazzana by one vote, earning 2,594 votes. Trustee Guy DesJardins won his current seat with 3,303 votes, according to unofficial election results distributed by the city Wednesday.
In Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Public Schools, incumbent Trustee Laura Vela-Wolan and newcomer J. Michael Suiter both won spots with 1,879 and 1,880 votes, respectively, beating out K. Austin Thompson, who received 1,265 votes, according to unofficial results posted on Wayne County’s Website.
All election results are unofficial until approved by local boards.
The two seats up for grabs in the Southgate Community School District, which includes the southern portion of Allen Park (Precinct 16), were claimed by incumbent Treasurer Sue Murray, who won 3,829 votes, and newcomer Rebecca Reed, who won 3,612 votes. This is Reed’s first elective office.
Two candidates won six-year seats on the Lincoln Park Public Schools Board of Education. Current board member Charles Kaminski won 2,259 votes and newcomer Mike Hall won 2,039 votes, defeating incumbent Vernon Wynn, who received 1,273 votes.
About 62.32 percent of Taylor Public Schools Board of Education voters picked Nancy Myers over Monica Dietz-Hopkins, 7,286 votes to 4,346.
On the Trenton Public Schools Board of Education, incumbent Marie Conflitti and newcomer Tom Kinney won the two open positions. Conflitti earned 2,978 votes while Kinney won 2,996, defeating incumbent Bruce Wyke.
In the Riverview Community School District, Treasurer Catherine Wells won re-election with 1,413 votes. Resident Cindy Houdek won the other open position, with 1,460 votes.
Paula Miller, who took over for Gary Face after his resignation in May, chose not to run for re-election.
Wyandotte Public Schools had no school board vacancies up for election.
Ballot proposals
In Wyandotte, a proposal to amend the city charter passed with 4,739 votes, a margin of more than 2,000 votes. The ruling will delete a section of the charter allowing anyone who feels aggrieved by a decision of the Board of Review and Equalization to appeal the decision with the City Council. The section was made unenforceable by changes in state law that now force such issues to be appealed by the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
Wayne County Proposition P, a measure to renew a millage to continue upgrades to local parks, passed with 337,163 votes.
In Lincoln Park, Proposal 1, to renew millages for police and fire services, passed with 6,792, a margin of more than 5,000 votes, and Proposal 2, a small renewal for the public library, passed with 6,800 votes with a similar margin. The special tax bases were created by city residents a few years ago in order to avert closures and layoffs.